2024 Trip Through France - Part 1

Dermot in Lille

London, Bristol, Cheddar, Folkestone, U.K.

I’m excited to be sharing this trip with the people who’ve said they enjoy reading the blog. There are about six of you. Since we were going to be visiting towns and cities that don’t appear in Rick Steve’s guide books, we added two ebooks as references:  Fodor’s France and Taking the Slow Road: France. The later is written by a man who tours in a campervan and includes campground recommendations - though usually of Aires which we’ve never braved so far.   This trip started like the others - realizing what we forgot to do or pack and vanlife maintenance. We spent a night in Bristol then a few days in Cheddar washing bedding, shopping for supplies, unpacking and even taking our folding bikes in for maintenance. Flying down a steep hill is a terrifying time to wonder if your brakes need replacing. We booked passage from Dover to Calais on a ferry before leaving Cheddar, which is an act of faith considering how many times an engine light’s appearance has altered our plans. Satisfied with our preparations, we headed for Folkestone.

Photo Album Here

Not a fan.

I anticipated challenges adhering to a vegan diet but one vegan meal called “Five Bean Chili” may have single-handedly undone me. Yes, it looks like a burger on a bun. But the waiter in the English pub assured me it was chili, breaded and fried and put on a bun. I thought he was joking. Inside was a mush nobody would mistake for chili.

Lille

The ferry trip was smooth and we drove straight towards Camping du Grand Sart. It’s 15 kilometers from Lille so the journey into the city is considerable. Camping here requires you to remember to bring your own toilet paper and the facilities aren’t great. On the other hand, the place is lovingly tended by a talented gardener so the sights and aromas of blooming shrubs and flowers is memorable. They also have chickens and two goats who spend their days head butting each other from the top of their very own castle. 

Their neighbors have a landscaping business which, I suppose, explains the Hobbit House.

We got a taste of the famously changeable weather of northern France on Monday. The forecast was threatening strong winds and rain so we looked for a way into town that avoided biking and excessive walking. After a few false starts we parked at the Fretin train station and arrived in Lille just in time to watch the driving rain drench pedestrians despite their raincoats and wreck their umbrellas even as they used them as shields. We chose to get a cappuccino to wait out the worst of it. 

Afterwards, we stopped at the TI and walked the tourist route in the old part of Lille seeing the outside of the Opera de Lille (they don’t give tours of the inside), La Vieille Bourse, Chambre of Commerce. For much of this time the sun was shining and the strong winds had chased the clouds away leaving only wispy traces behind. Dermot and I both love the old parts of towns and cities - the oddly shaped houses; the wood beams that aren’t true or level; they just add to the charm. We often wonder at some architectural choice that was made through the centuries to add a strange appendage or enclose what we think would have been a beautiful window or entryway. Of course, we don’t have to live there. I’m fascinated by the old fittings, hinges, latches and locks on doors and windows and how odd bits were put to use in surprising ways. 

Tiny “wicket” door in a door.

These revelations keep us coming back to Europe year after year. We always say we’re about over the cathedrals but we can’t seem to stay away. The Cathêdrale Notre-Dame de la Treille is an interesting combination of the original 13th century architecture and modern elements. Stained glass and new sculptures share space harmoniously. A new section includes thin marble that looks white from the outside but when viewed from the inside is warmly translucent with natural color variations from light to deep browns. 

 

We saw the outside of the Musée de l’Hospice Comtesse and strolled to the Porte de Gand which was one of the original entrances to the town.  With more rain threatening, we found a small grocery store and got dinner supplies and Dermot happily snapped up a hot baguette fresh from the oven. As our train pulled out of the station, it was pouring rain again.

Spring in France sounds fantastic and the flowers are beautiful. But more than once this first week we’ve questioned why we chose to leave the best Florida weather to travel in Europe’s cold and rainy shoulder season. Time will tell. 

Reims and the Champagne Region

On our way from Lille towards Reims, we were traveling near what was the Western front of WWI. The whole area is peppered with memorials and graveyards honoring those who fought and died here. We visited the Canadian National Monument. Though the massive gleaming white monument is undoubtedly a highlight, there’s also a good visitor’s center with poignant personalized stories and artifacts; tunnels and restored trenches; a section of No Man’s Land; and craters and undulating ground created by heavy artillery fire and underground mine explosions. Grass has grown back but much of the 250 acre area is off limits to visitors due to rough terrain and unexploded munitions. It’s too dangerous to mow so sheep graze the site to keep the grass trimmed. Witnessing it is both chilling and leaves you wondering how anyone made it out alive. The French gave the land to Canada in perpituity out of gratitude for their help and sacrifice. 

The nearby Notre Dame de Lorette is a WWI cemetery, church and a ring memorial where the names of all those who fought and died in the Pas de Calais and Calais Nord are carved into the walls. High school age children were visiting with lists of names they searched for.   

As Americans, we aren’t confronted by these daily reminders of war so close to home. These sites both underscore the horrendous tragedy and heavy toll of war.  

From there we headed for Camping Au Bord de l’Aisne where we managed to get stuck in the mud. The camp host had told me to stay on the road but I assumed he meant while driving to the site since camping on the road would block our neighbors. Our campground neighbors all came out offering traction pads and a push but we only managed to dig in deeper. “Welcome to France” one woman said with arms swung wide and a cheerful laugh. We had to be towed out by the camp hosts who reiterated to stay on the paved road - embarassing. 

The campground had pros - fresh pain au chocolate in the morning; and cons - super muddy when we had to stay in the lower grounds where it had flooded and unheated sanitary block. From here we visited Reims and enjoyed poking around a large grocery/sundries store then caught the tram into the city. We visited the cathedral which was where the coronations of most French kings were held. It was huge and somewhat gloomy except where it was illuminated by stained glass windows designed by Marc Chagall. 

Other stained glass illustrated the importance of champagne making to the region. We were disappointed the Gallo-Roman Cryptoporticus (1st & 2nd centuries and probably a covered market) wasn’t open yet but enjoyed the nearby Roman era and medieval structures and gardens. That door was to an abbey and included a tiny door called a “wicket door” photo above. There were also half-timbered houses.

We then set off for the picturesque medieval hilltop city of Laon. 

Chenizelles Gate of Laon

Notre-dame Cathedral is a masterpiece of early Gothic architecture as it featured a center tower that allowed light to flood in and inspired many other cathedrals. I loved the face and symbolic carvings on the medieval baptismal font. 

We lunched at a Crêperie (mine was white asparagus, ham, Emmental cheese and cream) and got a liter of the local cider on tap. The town is encircled by ramparts that were fun to explore and take in the views.